1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a food cooking assembly, restaurant system, and restaurant methods and, more particularly, to a system and method for lifting food out of a cooking medium, such as water or frying oil.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known to cook food with a cooking machine, such as a fryer, having a vessel containing a cooking medium, such as frying oil. It is usually desirable to lift the food from the medium at the termination of the cooking period. Various types of mechanized lifting systems have been proposed. Some systems impair access to the cooking vessel and food, making these systems unsuitable for certain environments, such as restaurants.
Other systems require a relatively complicated integration with the cooking machine.
Another system includes a small, open frame, fractional horsepower, gear motor with an eccentric cam secured to the output shaft. The motor is mounted on the bottom rear location of a restaurant type fryer. A cooking basket is connected to the motor, via a push rod assembly extending from the rear of the fryer. A problem with this system is limited load capacity. Another problem with this system is that it includes push rod guide bushings that tend to become soiled and misadjusted, causing friction, further reducing load capacity, and eventually damaging or destroying the motor.